MUSIC & LYRICS BY EDDIE PERFECT
BOOK BY SCOTT BROWN & ANTHONY KING
CHOREOGRAPHED BY CONNOR GALLAGHER
DIRECTED BY ALEX TIMBERS

BASED ON THE GEFFEN COMPANY PICTURE,
WITH STORY BY MICHAEL MCDOWELL AND LARRY WILSON

(New York, NY) Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures (Mark Kaufman) and Langley Park Productions (Kevin McCormick) announce today that Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman (School of Rock) will star as ‘Beetlejuice’ and two-time Lortel Award nominee Sophia Anne Caruso (Lazarus) will star as ‘Lydia’ in the world premiere Pre-Broadway engagement of the new musical comedy Beetlejuice. Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!, Peter and the Starcatcher), with choreography by Connor Gallagher (The Robber Bridegroom), an original score by Eddie Perfect (King Kong) and a book by Scott Brown & Emmy Award nominee Anthony King (Broad City), Beetlejuice begins performances on Sunday, October 14, 2018 and officially opens on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at the National Theatre in Washington D.C. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

It’s showtime, folks! Beetlejuice is ruder, raunchier and frankly, more repellent than ever in this original musical based on Tim Burton’s wonderfully demented film. BEETLEJUICE tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and a degenerate demon who happens to have a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on this ghost-with-the-most to scare away her insufferable parents, Beetlejuice comes up with the perfect plan, which involves exorcism, arranged marriages and an adorable girl scout who gets scared out of her wits.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Beetlejuice range from $54.00 – 114.00 and are available at www.TheNationalDC.com.

SOCIAL
Like Beetlejuice on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeetlejuiceBway/.
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For more information visit www.BeetlejuiceBroadway.com.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE
Managed and programmed by Jam Theatricals since 2012, the National Theatre is located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. The National Theatre opened in 1835 and is one of the country’s oldest continuously operating theaters. During its storied history, the National has served as one of the country’s leading pre-Broadway venues, hosting legendary world premieres such as Show Boat, West Side Story and Crazy For You. Many of the world’s leading performers have graced the “Stage for a Nation,” including Washington, D.C.’s own Helen Hayes, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Eartha Kitt, Ian McKellen, Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Chita Rivera, Will Rogers, and George C. Scott to name but a few. Jam Theatricals, under the direction of Steve Traxler and Arny Granat, introduced Broadway at the National, a new and exciting subscription series. In addition to the world premieres of If/Then and Mean Girls, recent theatrical presentations include Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables and the Washington premieres of Motown The Musical, American Idiot, Fun Home, Something Rotten! and Newsies. In addition, the National has recently presented many special events and concerts, including Kacey Musgraves, Dave Koz, Bryan Adams, Bill Burr, Eddie Izzard, Savion Glover, The Irish Tenors and ThePianoGuys.

Follow the National Theatre on Facebook (@NationalTheatreWashingtonDC), Twitter (@NatTheatreDC) and Instagram (@nattheatredc).

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BIOGRAPHIES

ALEX BRIGHTMAN (Beetlejuice) is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dewey Finn in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical School of Rock, for which he received a 2016 Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award nomination as well as an Outstanding Actor in a Musical Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called his performance “as notable for its generosity as its virtuosity,” and David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter raved “a star-making performance.” Alex’s Broadway debut was in James Gardiner and Nick Blaemire’s Glory Days. He since appeared on Broadway in Wicked, Big Fish and Matilda. Off-Broadway he starred in Encores! City Center’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, and in The Old Globe’s world premiere musical, Nobody Loves You. Alex will next be seen starring in the title role of the National Theater’s Pre-Broadway run of Beetlejuice, under the direction of Alex Timbers. On television, Alex most recently appeared on the Showtime series “SMILF” and “The Good Fight” with Christine Baranski. He has also appeared on USA’s “Royal Pains,” and on Comedy Central’s “Important Things With Demetri Martin.” He can next be seen on IFC’s “Documentary Now!” opposite Bill Hader. Alex has established himself as a playwright. He and his writing partner, Drew Gasparini, premiered a new musical thriller called “Make Me Bad” at the Bloomington Playwrights Project in 2013. Their next production was the one-man show Everything In Its Place: The Life And Slimes Of Marc Summers, starring Marc Summers. The duo are currently developing several other projects, including a musical adaptation of The Whipping Boy, based on the Newbery medal-winning children’s book and a musical adaptation of Universal’s It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, which was workshopped this past year at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Alex enjoys teaching music and for several years has taught at Broadway Artist Alliance, Camp Broadway and in his own class, “Alex Brightman Teaches You How to Kick Auditions in the Ass.” Alex currently resides in New York City.

SOPHIA ANNE CARUSO (Lydia) began her professional career at age 9, in the role of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, directed by Patty Duke. She played Young Norma Jean alongside Bernadette Peters in NBC-TV’s hit series, “Smash.” Sophia’s regional credits include the world premiere of Second Hand Lions directed by Scott Schwartz at the 5th Ave Theater in Seattle, and Charlotte Van Goethem in the world premiere of Little Dancer, directed by Susan Stroman at the Kennedy Center. Sophia was Brigitta Von Trapp in NBC-TV’s first live TV musical, “The Sound of Music Live!.” Her first off-Broadway stage show was The Nether directed by Anne Kaufman at MCC where she received her first Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Following The Nether, Sophia began work on her first feature, a multi-award winning film about autism called Jack of The Red Hearts, directed by Janet Grillo. Sophia was also featured in the film 37 The Kitty Genovese Murder. Caruso’s love for the stage brought her back to off-Broadway, when she was cast as “The Girl” in the David Bowie / Enda Walsh world premiere musical, Lazarus, directed by Ivo van Hove, at the New York Theater Workshop. She received her second Lucille Lortel nomination, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical and was also nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. After a record breaking sold out run in New York City, Lazarus transferred to London’s West End in 2016. Sophia received her first West End nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical from the prestigious “What’s on Stage Awards”. She is also prominently featured on the Lazarus cast album, most notably in “Life On Mars.” Her first Broadway credit came in the Tony-nominated production of Blackbird, directed by Joe Mantello and starring Michelle Williams and Jeff Daniels. That same summer she also appeared in New York City Center’s production of Runaways. Sophia appears in the first episode of Season 2, in the Facebook hit series “Strangers” that is currently streaming on Facebook Watch. Next year she will be seen in the new Showtime series, “City on a Hill,” co-starring opposite Kevin Bacon, as his teenage daughter.

CONNOR GALLAGHER (Choreographer). Selected work includes the first New York revival of The Robber Bridegroom (Roundabout Theatre Company, Astaire Winner and Calloway Nominee), the national tour of Elf, the world-premiere stage adaptation of Disney’s Tangled, Robert Schenkkan and Neil Berg’s The Twelve (Denver Center), FOUND (Philadelphia Theatre Company), a new adaptation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Director, Disney Creative Entertainment), The Magic School Bus (Director, Theatreworks), Spelling Bee (Bucks County Playhouse), The Fabulous Lipitones (Goodspeed), Bunnicula (DR2), Fat Camp (NYMF & Playhouse Square, Best Choreography Award), Spidermusical (The Mint), Perez Hilton (Fringe, Barrow Street Theatre, Joe’s Pub), and numerous events for Broadway Cares. Connor has created choreography for Glidden Paint, Luxxotica Eyewear, Hanky Panky Underwear, The Writers Guild Awards, and the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe. Associate: Into the Woods (Public Theater), Beauty and the Beast National and International Tours. Connor is a graduate of The Cincinnati Conservatory. connorgallagher.com

EDDIE PERFECT (Music & Lyrics) is one of Australia’s most diverse, respected and prolific writer/composer/performers, having made his mark in the fields of comedy, music theatre composition, playwriting, screenwriting, classical music, jazz and acting for stage and screen. As a composer/lyricist, Eddie’s credits include The Big Con (Malthouse Theatre), Shane Warne The Musical (Token), Drink Pepsi Bitch (Malthouse Theatre), Angry Eddie, Misanthropology (Sydney Festival), “Songs From The Middle” with The Brodsky Quartet, Strictly Ballroom (Global Creatures) and Vivid White (Melbourne Theatre Company). Eddie is currently writing and developing both King Kong (Global Creatures) and Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures) in the U.S. Eddie also wrote the stage play The Beast for Melbourne Theatre Company, the screenplay for the absurdist comedy “The Future Is Expensive” for ABC television, and co-artistically directed the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2016 and 2017. Eddie can be seen on Australian television’s “Playschool” where he is a presenter, and on Netflix as Mick Holland in the Australian Drama/Comedy series “Offspring.”

SCOTT BROWN (Book) wrote/composed the Off-Broadway musical comedy Gutenberg! The Musical (dir. Alex Timbers) with childhood friend and Beetlejuice collaborator Anthony King. He started his career in journalism, writing for Entertainment Weekly (senior writer), Wired (columnist), GQ and Time, among others. He was chief drama critic for New York Magazine from 2010 to 2014, and received the 2012-13 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. He saw Spider-man: Turn off the Dark three times, two of them sober. Lately, he’s written for HBO’s “Sharp Objects,” based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, directed by Jean Marc Vallee and starring Amy Adams. He’s also written for WGN’s critically acclaimed “Manhattan” and is currently a writer-producer on Stephen King’s “Castle Rock” for Hulu, executive produced by J.J. Abrams. He’s also at work on a new project for Amazon, but then, isn’t everyone? His young-adult novel ‘xL’ will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2019. Scott was born in Alabama, and spent most of his childhood in North Carolina. He lived for seventeen lovely years in New York, until it got too expensive, and then moved to Western Massachusetts, where he is politically irrelevant
ANTHONY KING (Book) is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, and performer. He co-wrote the Off-Broadway show, Gutenberg! The Musical!, which also enjoyed a run Off-West End in London and is now being performed all over the world. The show received Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle & Drama Desk Award Nominations, and won a NYMF Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing (Book). Anthony has developed television projects for CBS, HBO, Comedy Central, A&E & AMC and has written/produced for shows like “Silicon Valley” (HBO), “Broad City” (Comedy Central), “Search Party” (TBS), “Playing House” (USA), “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” & “Ten Years Later” (Netflix), “Wrecked” (TBS), “Best Friends Forever” (NBC) and more. He was the Artistic Director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC from 2005-2011 and still performs often at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles where he lives now with his wife and two wonderful daughters. And also a weird little dog.

DAVID KORINS (Scenic Design) is the award-winning founder and principal designer of David Korins Design – a multidisciplinary creative firm developing and designing innovative experiences. His Broadway credits include Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, War Paint, Bandstand, Misery, Motown, Annie, Bring It On, Chinglish, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, Magic/Bird, Godspell, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Lombardi, Passing Strange and Bridge and Tunnel. He has worked extensively both off-Broadway and in regional theatre. His opera credits include world premieres of Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene at San Francisco Opera and Oscar at Santa Fe Opera. He has worked extensively as a Production Designer in TV, film, & award shows including Fox’s “Grease: Live” for which he won an Emmy award. As a Creative Director, he collaborates with a vast variety of artists and institutions from Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Gagosian, to Andrea Bocelli, Sotheby’s, Equinox, Michael Kors, and Google. He has received two Tony nominations, an Emmy Award, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards, three Henry Hewes Design Awards, and an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design.

WILLIAM IVEY LONG (Costume Design) has over 70 Broadway design credits. Select Broadway: The Prince of Broadway, A Bronx Tale: The Musical, On the Twentieth Century, Cabaret, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Grey Gardens, Hairspray, The Producers, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Nine. Recent television work includes: “A Christmas Story: Live!,” “Grease: Live!” (Emmy nomination) and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s do the Time Warp Again” – all for the FOX television network. He has designed for such artists as Mick Jagger, Siegfried and Roy, the Pointer Sisters at Caesar’s Palace, and Joan Rivers. Mr. Long has won 6 Tony Awards, with 15 nominations. He recently completed a 4 year elected term as Chairman of the American Theatre Wing, and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in January 2006.

KENNETH POSNER (Lighting Design) has more than 60 Broadway play and musical credits. He designs extensively off-Broadway, for resident theatres and touring productions throughout the United States as well as internationally. Selected Broadway credits: War Paint, Tuck Everlasting, Disgraced, On Your Feet, If/Then, Kinky Boots, Pippin, Cinderella, Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can, The Coast of Utopia – Shipwrecked, Other Desert Cities, The Merchant Of Venice, The Little Foxes, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, Finding Neverland and Wicked. He is the recipient of the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle and OBIE Awards.

PETER HYLENSKI (Sound Design) is a Grammy, Olivier, and four time Tony-nominated Sound Designer for theater, film, television and special events. Selected designs include: Frozen, Anastasia, Something Rotten (B’way, US Tour), Rock of Ages (B’way, London, Toronto, Melbourne, Las Vegas, US Tour), After Midnight, Motown (Broadway, London, US Tours), The Scottsboro Boys, Side Show, Rocky (B’way, Hamburg, Stuttgart), Bullets Over Broadway, Shrek the Musical (B’way, London, US Tour), On A Clear Day, Lend Me A Tenor, Elf, Wonderland, Cry Baby, The Times They Are A-Changin’, The Wedding Singer, Sweet Charity, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Little Women (B’way, US Tour), Brooklyn, Annie (US Tours). Other credits: Le Reve at Wynn Las Vegas, Ragtime (London), King Kong (Melbourne). International arena tours of How To Train Your Dragon and Walking with Dinosaurs. Architectural projects include 54 Below, the Plaza Hotel (NYC), Lake of Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas, Big Bang Theatre at the American Museum of Natural History. He’s engineered music in ads for companies such as Sony, Levi’s, General Mills, Kia and Mercedes Benz He was the re-record mixer and sound supervisor on his fifth film for the American Museum of Natural History titled Dark Universe.

PETER NIGRINI (Projection Design). Broadway: SpongeBob Squarepants, Dear Evan Hansen, Amelie, A Dolls House Part 2, An Act of God, The Heidi Chronicles, The Best Man, Fela!, 9 to 5. Elsewhere: Grounded and Here Lies Love (Public Theatre), Wakey Wakey, (Signature), Real Enemies (BAM Next Wave), Lucia di Lammermoor (Santa Fe Opera), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (2nd Stage), Notes from Underground (Yale Rep), The Grace Jones Hurricane Tour, Blind Date (Bill T. Jones). He is also one of the founders of Nature Theatre of Oklahoma and designs every aspect of their productions which include, No Dice, and Life & Times (Burgtheater, Vienna). Currently: Ain’t Too Proud, The Temptations (Touring) and Orphée et Eurydice (Opera Theatre of St. Louis).

MICHAEL CURRY (Puppet Design). Michael’s approach is unique, as he chooses to design and fabricate with a long-term team in his Oregon studio. The scenic designs, puppetry, and performance effects from Michael Curry Design have been the cornerstone of shows for the past 30 years. He has received multiple awards from his peers in theater, television, and film. Michael is best known for his work with The Lion King on Broadway, FROZEN the Musical on Broadway, multiple Olympic opening ceremonies, the Metropolitan Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and other worldwide spectacles.

JEREMY CHERNICK (Special Effects Design). Broadway: Frozen the Musical, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, American Psycho, Aladdin The Musical, You Can’t Take It With You, & Rocky. London’s West End: Harry Potter and The cursed Child, Let the Right One In. Off-Broadway and other: Angels In America (Berkley rep) A Christmas Carol (The McCarter Theater) Joan of Arc (The Public Theater) Guards at the Taj (The Atlantic) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney Theatrical Group), Parsifal (Metropolitan Opera). “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” “The Wiz Live” & “Peter Pan Live” for NBC Universal. Chernick serves as Head designer for J&M Special Effects in Brooklyn www.jmfx.net. In 2014, his work was featured at the Museum of Art & Design in New York.

MICHAEL WEBER (Illusions) inhabits a unique position in the world of the professional wonder worker: He creates his own magic. He has spent a lifetime inventing and performing new and original magic effects, many of which have become modern classics. Weber and co-conspirator Ricky Jay founded the consulting company Deceptive Practices which provides “Arcane Knowledge On a Need-To-Know Basis” to film, theater and television. Weber has collaborated with a veritable “Who’s Who” of writers and directors including Daren Aronofsky, Wes Craven, David Hare, David Mamet, Errol Morris, Mike Nichols, Christopher Nolan, Aaron Sorkin, Martin Scorsese, George Wolfe and Robert Zemeckis. Weber’s work has appeared in dozens of Broadway productions and feature films such as Forrest Gump, Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants, Sneakers, Angels in America, Congo, The Parent Trap, Wolf, On The Stem, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Faustus, The Illusionist, Leap of Faith, Top Dog Underdog, Rogues Gallery, The Prestige, In and Of Itself, A Year of Magical Thinking, and Ocean’s 13. As magic consultant for the original David Blaine “Street Magic” television special, Weber helped redefine Magic for his generation. He served as a writer and magic creator for the television series, The Carbonaro Effect, is a consulting producer of Derek Delgaudio’s remarkable In and Of Itself, was the director and co-creator of the live touring show Brain Candy, and directed a magic show for the blind that took place entirely in the dark.

KRIS KUKUL (Music Direction) is a New York City based Orchestrator/Arranger/Music Director and Composer. Recent Projects: Joan of Arc: Into the Fire (Public Theatre – Music Supervisor/Arrangements), Runaways (NY City Center – Arrangements), American Songbook: Elizabeth Swados (Lincoln Center – MD/Arrangements), Shakespeare In Love (east coast premier – STNJ), Kate Baldwin – Extraordinary Machine (MD/Arrangements), The Last Goodbye (The Old Globe), Songbird (59E59), Darko Tresnjak’s Kiss Me Kate (The Old Globe/Hartford Stage), The Heart of Robin Hood (A.R.T/Royal Alexandria Toronto). Williamstown Theatre Festival 10 seasons; resident music director. 12 years as Elizabeth Swados’ Music Director/Orchestrator. He has written the music for Beauty Queen, Dash Dexter, Oliver Twist and the family musicals Camp Monster and Wing It!, both produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. International work: Andrei Serban’s Heracles (Epidaurus/National Theatre Greece), The LaMama Cantata (Japan, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Macedonia), Bokan (Bogota), From The Fire (Edinburgh), Bacchae (Warsaw). Adjunct faculty NYU, Tisch School of the Arts.

WARNER BROS. THEATRE VENTURES (Producer). Continuing Warner Bros.’ mission of presenting the finest entertainment across all media platforms to global audiences, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures (WBThV) is the company’s live stage play division, which develops and produces first-class musicals and other stage productions based on Warner Bros.’ vast library of iconic film and television properties. The division is currently preparing two World Premiere new musicals set to debut in 2018. Dave, directed by Tina Landau, with music by two-time Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt and lyrics by Tony nominee Nell Benjamin and a book by three-time Tony winner Thomas Meehan and Nell Benjamin will make its world premiere at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage in July 2018. In addition, directed by two-time Tony nominee Alex Timbers, with an original score by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Emmy nominee Anthony King, the new musical comedy Beetlejuice will have a World Premiere Pre-Broadway engagement at Washington D.C.’s National Theatre in October 2018. WBThV is also currently readying both the North American tour and an Australian production at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre of the Olivier Award-winning musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was previously represented on the West End (Director: Sam Mendes) and Broadway (Director: Jack O’Brien). WBThV is presently developing A Star is Born (Director: Bill Condon), Dog Day Afternoon (Playwright: Stephen Adly Guirgis) and 17 Again for the stage.The division’s other Broadway productions include Oscar-winner William Goldman’s adaptation of Misery directed by Will Frears, starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, the record-breaking holiday hit Elf, the Tony Award-winning musical The Bridges of Madison County and Tony Award Best Play winner The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The division also co-produced the original musical Secondhand Lions at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. WBThV also licenses third-party stage rights to the various properties held within the studio’s vast media library, including such productions as Hairspray, The Bodyguard, Top Hat, Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, The Color Purple and 42nd Street.

LANGLEY PARK PRODUCTIONS (Producer). Kevin McCormick currently serves as Executive Vice President
Production & Senior Advisor, Warner Bros. Pictures. (He previously served as President of Production, leaving the studio in 2010 and starting his Warner-based production company Langley Park Pictures.) Kevin is currently overseeing the films The Goldfinch, Motherless Brooklyn, and The Mule, along with Clint Eastwood’s latest theatrical release, 15:17 to Paris. Kevin continues to supervise numerous features in development, while serving as a producer on Beetlejuice and an advisor to Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.